Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1887-09-28
AMONG The GRADERS.
On the Grade-Nearing the River
Camp Life on Sun Riyer-How
Railroads are Built.

The graders are busy filling up the
gap on the main line near Sun river. The
grade has been completed on either side
of it and is ready for the steel rails. Steady
progress has also been. made with the
grade which is TO extend to the Missouri
river, whence the track will be extended
into town as soon as the bridge is ready.
Railroad building as carried IN almost
in sight of the city is very simple and
methodical. The first thing done is to
strike camp. This is done as soon as the
contractors and sub-contractors equipment
arrives. This supply train is composed
of teams, plows, scr; per-, wagons. tents
and cooking utensils. Tie site for the
camp is selected promptly and is general
ly within a few hundred yards of the
work. 1t may be selected farther away
when access can be had thereby to Il lake
or river. This camp is surrounded by
a barbed wire fence, but that is
not always deemed needful. The graders
build a camp as quickly as soldiers or cir
Gus men. Each tent is kept separate and
when unloaded the men are ready to put
it in place. There is no order observed
in the graders encampmeut. The tents
are placed apparently at random. The
cooks quarters are generally in a central
location, so that the dining room" may be
easy of access. The said dining ROOM
is furnished with a large cooking stove, a
long table and a shorter one. The chairs
are boards placed on barrels; the plates,
cups and sugar bowls are all tin. The
meat is.served in platters and each on
helps himself. There is no bill of fare.
The city "dude" unless he came with a
good appetite would be Mortified. There
is no head Or foot to the table nor are there
any choice places to which people have
become entitled by usage. Each grader
takes whatever place is vacant just as he
com 5. 1t is we'll however to keep as far
away from the stove as you can, end avoid
places where the heat OF the sun is strong
est. The fare is good and substantial. 1t
is decidedly more generous than that of
the average city boarding house. Meat,
potatoes, homemade bread and coffee
form the morning meal. Milk and butter
are included when they can be- had. Din
ner and supper are like breakfast, except
that sometimes pie or canned fruits are
added. MIR. Stevens cooks for about
twenty-five people in the camp at Sun
river and does 80 without great toll or
trouble. The Great Falls butchers sup
ply him with meat daily. In the camp
are either supplies which are renewed as
they become less.
In Jones Brothers camp, Of which We
write, 1.-The men rise early. They make d
hasty toilet and breakfast about ESQ. At
Z o'clock they are on the grade aud begin
work. AT noon labor ceases for an hour
and a half-an apparent gain of half an
hour on the old-tiue reeess-but most of
this extra time is spent in hitcling the
horses or in getting ready to resume work. |
Work ceases at six O'Clock and he lei
take supper about seven. The railroad
builders retire early. Sometimes a novel, |
i newspaper or a letter may occupy the |
graders time for a while, but as a rule ,
few candles and no lamps are lighted in
camp. so there is no need for any curfew
to sound the knell Of parting day or
warn people to cover fires, %extinguish
lights and retire to rest.
Flowing and scraping are the main bus
mess OF the railroad builders. They find
the track sfaked out for them by the en-
gineers and on either side they break with
blows enough earth to form the embark
meut. The roadbed is about fourteen
feet wide; the slopes measure eighteen
inches. The pillow which has eV0luted from
the rude iron pointed stick used by the
Egyptian TO this day is massive in form
and does credit TO American skill. The
scraper which may be traced back TO the
spoon gathers in many cubic feet of
earth at a time and is unloaded by a sim
pie contrivance.
Team follows team in rotation from the |
plowed ground to the grade where the
clay is dumped. One or two Jewelers. are
at hand to give shape and symmetry to the
grade. Finally inspector Fogarty comes
along and accepts the work on the part of
the head contractor. Then the track lay |
ers do their part and the steel road is
ready for the locomotive.
Railroad building develops tastes akin
to those of the sailor or cowboy. 1T
seems that when once you get into it you
can never get out of it." said Cornell the
other day in tones which he might have
used were he speaking of the opium habit.
All things considered the graders life is
an honorable, healthful pursuit, and it is
we'll that men cling to it and take pride
in it.
." rI~oJo,, 1r Da.rS ~